Time Changes Much
by MaskedDreamer
Summary: Time and situations can change a person, and James Norrington finds this out after being betrayed by Lord Beckett. Now he wants to go back to piracy and do right what he did wrong with a little help from an unwilling helper. NOC After DMC but doesn’t f


Time and situations can change a person, and James Norrington finds this out after being betrayed by Lord Beckett

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pirates of the Carribean or anything to do with it.

**Chapter One**

Time changes a person, but as James Norrington was pushed into a prison cell at Port Royale, he noticed just how much can change.

Two years ago he was a promising Commodore in the British Navy. In his comfortable position he captured, killed, and rid the world of pirates, a form of humans he found disgusting and low. He always followed the rules and was known for superb control and sophistication.

Then came along the question of marriage. He was 31 then and looking for a suitable wife. The most suitable was the governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann, and so at his coronation as Commodore, he proposed to her.

It was then when the adventure that changed him forever began.

Through many different situations and actions, Elizabeth was captured by pirates, her lover, William Turner, ran off with Captain Jack Sparrow to get her back, and Norrington himself was able to get together a ship to go in search of Elizabeth with her father. Yet while all this went on, Elizabeth and Will bonded and soon became engaged, eventually gaining her father's permission. Captain Jack Sparrow also escaped the gallows, and Norrington became obsessed with finding and killing Sparrow.

His desire for revenge and death created a monster out of Norrington. His ship was destroyed in a hurricane and he was forced to resign his post in the British Navy and instead stay in Tortuga where he became a drunken slob like every other pirate. It just happened to be his luck when along came Captain Jack Sparrow with Elizabeth Swann. Despite his anger for pirates, Norrington found himself a spot on the Black Pearl and went through all its adventures.

It was after hearing the conversation between Elizabeth and Jack when Norrington finally found a purpose for life. To find the heart of Davy Jones and give it to Lord Cutler Beckett, the owner of the thriving East India Trading Company. This would give him a pardon from the crime of associating with Pirates and reclaim himself a valued position in the Navy.

Norrington did manage to get the heart and escape from the pirates and come back to Port Royale, but plans there didn't go as planned.

Lord Beckett did grant him the pardon and thanked him for the heart, but just as life seemed to become right again for James Norrington, Beckett arrested him again, falsely accusing Norrington of being in a secret plot to overthrow the East India Trading Company with the pirates he had just escaped from.

And that is why Norrington, for the first time in his life, and after two short years since being Commodore, found himself being shoved into a prison cell.

James stumbled over his feet as he was roughly pushed into the cell, and he couldn't regain his balance and fell roughly to the ground, a sharp pain erupting in his knee and both palms as he felt the stone floor grate them. The officer who forced him in, and who Norrington recognized as a soldier from two years ago, didn't seem to notice, however, and just locked the cell before walking away, not saying a word to Norrington. James was quite fine with that, however. He was not in the mood right now to talk to anyone associated with the British Navy or Beckett.

'Beckett,' James thought, pulling himself up into a sitting position in the scattered hay towards the back wall of the cell. 'That bloody Beckett. I have never met a man so cruel and twisted. He makes honor and the high social class seem dirty.'

James glared at the opposite walls, not being able think of anything but his hatred toward Beckett, who took everything James offered and gave nothing but deception back.

And now through James' stupid actions, Beckett had the key to destroying all his enemies on the sea and taking over the oceans. He had the heart of Davy Jones and therefore the command of the Sea Devil himself. James had doomed all pirates.

The anger towards himself and Beckett swelled inside James, and in his rage he punched the wall, refusing to show weakness by speaking or crying. He needed to keep his strength up if he wanted to get out of here, not an emotional breakdown.

It was then James vowed he would somehow get out of this cell and back into the life of piracy. As a pirate he would be able to Captain his own ship and revenge Beckett by killing him, finding where ever Beckett hid the heart of Davy Jones, and stabbing it. He'd do anything to ruin the East India Trading Company and give him some sense of relief and redemption for his past actions.

'Funny,' he thought to himself as he gazed at his bloody knuckles, 'that once I would have loved to kill all pirates if I could, but now I long to be one.'

He frowned bitterly as he brought his dangerous gaze back up to the opposite wall, trying not to think about the past any more.

oOoOoOoOo

James didn't bother counting the days he spent locked up in the cell. Instead he just sat where he had ended up at on the first day and glared at the opposite wall. Only a few times did he actually get up to stretch his legs and look for any weaknesses in the cell he could possibly use to his advantage for escaping. He found none, however, and had to think of a more clever means of escape.

No ideas came to Norrington. Not one single wisp of an idea in those long hours.

He refused to eat much after realizing there was no way out, and slowly felt himself weakening. He knew he should give up yet, but he was trapped and hopeless. A desperate trapped man with no hope.

It was a surprise to him after days of solitude to hear footsteps stop in front of his cell door. Slowly he looked up from the patch of hay on the ground he had been glaring daggers at and saw a pair of small feet clad in expensive black boots.

Immediately he knew who it was and looked up at Beckett.

"Mr. Norrington. I see you've become comfortable with your new home."

James simply glared at Beckett.

"Ah, I see. You're angry. It's your own fault you associated yourself with those pirates and lost my trust, however. You must face the consequences."

"I associated myself with pirates to get you that heart, Beckett. It's you I'm angry at for shoving my deeds back in my face. You have no right to keep me behind bars."

"But I do have every right," Beckett replied calmly. "I'm the most powerful person in all the Caribbean and I plan to keep it that way for as long as I live. Which brings me to the reason why I'm here."

James glared at Beckett who returned a slightly amused, slightly pompous smirk.

"Despite my new power in controlling Davy Jones via his heart, I still need as much information about pirates as I can get. You are a pirate and therefore my best source of information on how pirates act. For instance, I need you to tell me what pirates would do when they find out I have the heart."

Beckett's lowered voice and narrowed, interrogating eyes did nothing to James who refused to change his glare or say anything. He had promised himself to a pirates life despite the lack of a ship, and he would not be turning around on his word now; especially not with Beckett.

"I see you are not as willing as I thought you would be, Norrington. I warn you, however, if you do not help me there will be consequences."

"Tell me, Beckett," Norrington said, trying to sound as formal and amiable as possible but failing miserably. "Why should I help you when I know all too well what the consequences would be if I did?"

"You are a pirate, Norrington. There is nothing but consequences for you, yet if you help me by telling me what pirates would do, you'd at least have respect from a man high in position."

"So I'm to assume I have respect from you because I brought you Davy Jones' heart?"

"Great respect," Beckett said, but Norrington could tell he was lying.

"You have lost all my respect, Beckett," he spat out.

"No, I believe you have misplaced yours," Beckett calmly replied.

James resumed his silence and glare, until Becket ordered the officers following him to leave. Beckett shot James one unguarded glance full of anger before leading the officers out of the prison.


End file.
